Share this:

Barolo is one of my favourite wines. At best it combines the subtlety and perfume of great Burgundy; the power, backbone, and ability to age and build complexity of great Bordeaux. And it has mystery and fascination. But it’s also different from all other wines.

Every year, the winemakers of Barolo pour their new releases for the world’s wine media at Nebbiolo Prima, and this year’s vintage release, 2010, proved to be something special.

The 2010s are, at their best, elegant and balanced, charming and fruity, and a far cry from the dry, overly tannic, old-fashioned Barolo style, which once tempted descriptions such as ‘rusty-nails’.

The word from producers is that 2010 was an excellent nebbiolo season with cooler than average temperatures and excellent phenolic ripeness. The wines are being compared to the outstanding 2004s.

Nebbiolo Prima is held in Alba, the wine capital of Piedmont, where 100 wine writers from 33 countries tasted 400 wines, most – but not all – Barolos. The new release Barbaresco and Roero (both 2011 vintage) were also poured during the five-day blind tasting.

Broadly speaking there are two styles of Barolo: the traditional style which is aged only in very large, mostly old barrels called botte, which impart no oak taste or aroma. These wines can be quite pale and mature in their colour, and not so fruity or bright in flavour. Then there’s the modern style, which have deeper, brighter colour, more youthful and fruity aroma and flavour, and occasionally a touch of oak as a result of being aged in small barrels in addition to, or instead of, large botte. And of course there are many permutations between the two extremes. My personal preference is for the brighter, fresher wines which show good aromatics and plenty of fruit, but not overt oak; wines that are reasonably soft on the palate and approachable. That doesn’t mean low-tannin: tannin is an important part of nebbiolo and great nebbiolo always has a lot of tannin. But, these days with modern know-how Barolo can be produced in a more approachable style that is far more attractive than those of the distant past, without sacrificing structure or typical style.

The first of the 2010 Barolos are just starting to be shipped. Five Way Cellars in Paddington last week released a pre-arrival offer (with discounts for pre-payment) for eleven 2010 Barolos from six top-line producers.

Barolo is expensive, thanks to rising world demand. Expect to pay between $70 and $100 for basic Barolo, between $90 and $150 for single-vineyard Barolo and over $150 for Riservas (of which 2008 will be the new vintage). My list of top wines of Nebbiolo Prima is drawn from 14 wineries which export to Australia (many more great wines that I tasted are not). Most will arrive between June and year’s end, so keep your eye out for them – especially the pre-arrival offers, which have the best prices.

Related Posts

About the authorHuon Hooke

Huon Hooke is a leading Australian wine expert, critic and show judge, best known for his weekly columns in Sydney Morning Herald Good Food, and is contributing editor, tasting panel member and columnist at Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine.